The council had allocated £31.5 million from its capital plan to replace Ardrossan Academy at a proposed site on the North Shore, but were keen to secure funding from the Scottish Government so they could take a more innovative approach.

This week the Scottish Government – via their Scottish Futures Trust programme – confirmed that they would help the council to bring its plans to life.

Councillor Joe Cullinane, Leader of North Ayrshire Council, said “We have worked incredibly hard to ensure that a much needed replacement for Ardrossan Academy was at the front of the queue for Scottish Government funding and I am delighted that the government has acknowledged our strong case and have supported our wider vision for the North Shore site.

“We have amazing campuses in Largs and Garnock and we’re thrilled that the Three Towns could soon have one as well.

“We always knew that to access the funding we had to be bold, brave and ambitious and what we have planned for the Three Towns is that. It will be an amazing learning space for our young people.

“There is still a long way to go but we are delighted to have cleared this hurdle and look forward to moving on to the next stage. We will continue to engage with local people throughout the process.

“We have big plans for Ardrossan which we hope to share in detail over the coming weeks. It is a key element of our Ayrshire Growth Deal proposals. The campus forms a key part of that.

“This is a great day for the area and we can all be excited about what lies ahead.”

A pre-engagement exercise, which included an online survey, has already been carried out and will help inform the final proposals that will go before cabinet later this month.

If these proposals are approved, there will be a statutory consultation period to allow the public to have a further say on the plans.

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